Princess Diana and Her Boys Considered Kurt Russell's Home a Sanctuary

As we're all sadly aware, Princess Diana was constantly hounded by the paparazzi, which caused her a great deal of stress. Where's the perfect place to go when you need an escape from Britain's most aggressive photogs? Why, Kurt Russell's home in Colorado, of course. We didn't see that coming either, but it actually makes perfect sense.

During a run-in with Russell at the royal premiere of Backdraft in London, Diana confided in Kurt about how burdensome being chased down by those officious cameramen had become. After hearing her story, the ever-chivalrous Kurt offered up the 70-acre estate he shares with Goldie Hawn so that Princess Diana and her sons could have "a nice getaway."

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Russell, who sat between Lady Di and Prince Charles during the 1991 screening, told an Australian media outlet recently, "Things weren't going well."

He was probably referring to the fact that Diana and Charles were just a year shy of splitting.

"Years later [Duchess of York Sarah Ferguson], who Goldie knows, worked it out," Russell explained. "I guess Diana wanted to go with the boys and so they were welcome, and they came and stayed for 10 days at the ranch, and they had a good time."

Well, Prince William, then 13, and Harry, who was 10 at the time, thoroughly did. However, there were reportedly some frightful moments for Princess Diana when the boys convinced her to go white water rafting.

"The outing, said one witness, had Princess Diana 'clutching the side of the raft in white-knuckled terror.'"

Afterwards, she took the time for some retail therapy, buying two $58 polo dresses at Banana Republic in Aspen, because she really was the "people's princess."

Although Kurt and Goldie weren't in their home at the time, Kurt said one lucky gal got to spend some quality time with Diana. "Our housekeeper Bonnie became very close with her and every Christmas she'd get a nice Christmas card from Diana," he said.

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